1. Field
The disclosed and claimed concept relates generally to electronic devices interacting with a wireless network and, more particularly, to a system and method for enabling greater power conservation for a wireless handheld device interacting with a wireless network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless networks enabling communications between electronic devices are widely known and have become commonplace. Most widely used are wireless networks based on various recently issued IEEE standards, including and not limited to, 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.16e. Much of the focus in the design of these wireless networks has been providing the convenience of being able to set up a network without the hassles of installing cables (e.g., Ethernet and coax cables). Considerable focus has also been given the use of portable computer systems with these wireless networks where such portable computer systems may actually be in motion and perhaps physically entering and/or exiting a location covered by a wireless network at various times. In response to these considerations, protocols have been developed to repeatedly convey status and other information between devices communicating with each other across a wireless network to, in part, detect the entry and exit of devices into and out of an area covered by the wireless network.
As part of these protocols, it has become commonplace for at least one device engaging in communications in a wireless network, and usually serving as an access point between that wireless network and another network, to repeatedly transmit a beacon or other signal to all of the other devices engaging in communications in that same network. The beacon signal serves multiple purposes, including providing an indication to each of the other wireless devices that the wireless network is still accessible to them, and providing indications of any data to be conveyed to any of the other wireless devices. If one of the other devices suddenly ceases to receive this beacon signal, then it may be an indication to that other device that it has been moved out of the location covered by that particular wireless network and that a search may need to be done to locate another network. If a beacon signal indicates that there is data to be conveyed to one of the other devices, then that other device responds to the beacon signal to cause the data to be transmitted to that other device.
As part of serving the function of enabling wireless devices to determine if a given wireless network is still accessible to them, the specifications followed by many implementations of wireless network require that the beacon signal be transmitted at a relatively short interval of between 100 ms and 400 ms, though it is commonplace to encounter beacon signals being transmitted every 100 ms to 200 ms. Also, these same specifications also require that each wireless device monitor every transmission of the beacon signal, since any given transmission of a beacon signal may provide an indication of there being data to be conveyed to that wireless device, and if a beacon providing such an indication is not responded to by the wireless device, then the data may be discarded and never conveyed to the wireless device.
Although these relatively short intervals may speed detection by a device of its loss of connection to the wireless network, such short intervals result in a relatively high consumption of power that may not be sustainable by relatively small portable devices for a long period of time with correspondingly small batteries. Such short intervals impair the ability of such portable devices to conserve power by preventing the powering down the RF receiver and processing logic that receives and processes the beacon signal for periods of time long enough to achieve significant power savings.